Eco-Portal for Teachers - An Information Gateway

This page provides a gateway to other resources including publications, online tools, and additional materials. It is designed to provide you with even more information to help educate students on solid and hazardous waste issues and enhance the classroom experience!

Publications

EPA Publications
Hundreds of EPA publications are available online on topics ranging from solid waste management and climate change to recycling and composting. Publications are listed alphabetically and by topics. You may view publications online or place an order using the forms provided. Users are limited to ten different publications per request.

The following products are also available online:

Catalog of Hazardous And Solid Waste Publications, 16th edition
This catalog lists hazardous and solid waste documents released by the US EPAs Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR). This is a select list of publications that are frequently requested and is not a comprehensive list of all documents available. This edition of the catalog contains publications through July 15, 2003. Newer publications are available online

A Collection of Solid Waste Resources on CD-ROM
This latest edition of solid waste resources contains more than 300 publications. It also contains games and activities for kids and materials for teens. You may order the CD-ROM free of charge from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) by calling 1-800-490-9198 and requesting publication number EPA 530-C-08-001.

My Environment
This powerful Web-based tool provides a wide range of federal, state, and local information about environmental conditions and features in your area of choice. By entering a zip code or a city and state name, a user can retrieve an interactive map that shows the location of regulated facilities, monitoring sites, water bodies, population density, and perspective topographic views. In addition, this tool provides geographic statistics about a users area of interest, including estimated population, county/urban area designations, and local waterbodies and watersheds. Users can also retrieve federal, state, and local information on environmental issues like air and water quality, watershed health, Superfund sites, fish advisories, and impaired waters.

Additional Resources

A to Z Teacher Stuff
This guide provides links to online lesson plans and resources for studying the topics of recycling and composting in the classroom.

Aluminum Beverage Cans: The ABCs of Environmental EducationNote: You must register to download the curriculum. Resource kit for teaching students many important concepts about the environment. The kit uses the aluminum beverage can as a case study in environmental education. The can provides a snapshot of the role scientific and environmental concerns play in thedevelopment and use of packaging. By studying the many attributes of aluminum cans, students will see first hand the challenges that industry faces in protecting the environment while also providing consumers with safe, enjoyable products. Includes background information, in-class experiments, and extracurricular activities.

An Ounce of Prevention (PDF)(128 pp, 1.4MB, about PDF)
This curriculum guides teachers in educating students about the importance of preventing waste and using less. The information helps students learn about the value of source reduction and its place in the hierarchy of solid waste solutions and provides a basis for students thinking about the need to conserve all types of resources, including materials, energy, water and air.

EE-Link
EE-Link is a participant in the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The website provides extensive resources for teachers on various environmental topics.

Energy Kids
This website, provided by the Energy Information Administration, includes information on the connection between energy, garbage, and recycling. Includes an Energy Quiz for kids, fun facts, and other online resources.

Environmental Resources Information Center (ERIC)
ERIC is a national information system designed to provide users with ready access to an extensive body of education-related literature. Users can access the literature through the online ERIC database, one of the worlds largest source of education information. The database contains more than one million abstracts of education-related documents and journal articles including science, math, and environmental news and issues.

Act Green
Scholastics Act Green site makes going green a family affair. Using Act Green, your students can choose from 100 ways to Act Green. As they make changes to their routine, they earn green points and make the world a greener place.

Haz-Ed: Classroom Activities for Understanding HazWaste
Haz-Ed is a compilation of interdisciplinary activities that focus on the often complicated and sometimes controversial scientific, technical, and policy issues related to hazardous waste sites and Superfund. Haz-Ed materials can be used as part of a larger curriculum, as special stand-alone activities, or on an occasional basis to teach students about hazardous waste issues. Haz-Ed is designed to help students develop skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making.

The Ring Leader Recycling Program
Provided by the ITW Hi-Cone company, the Ring Leader Recycling Program is an educational experience, involving recyclable six-pack rings and the 3 Rsreduce, reuse, and recycle. It is designed for implementation in both formal and informal educational environments to allow students to learn about and participate in an effective school recycling program. The website also provides links to recycling resources.

Superfund for Students and Teachers
Provides resources to help teachers educate students about EPAs Superfund Program. Includes activities, environmental cleanup videos, and a participatory program in which classrooms collect weather data for EPA.